Chapter 513 - 176: Preliminary Performance, Initial Ranking

On the other side of the square.

In the area where the Yunxi Peak disciples had gathered, Yuwen Mingjue’s gaze was fixed on a figure in the preliminary competition grounds—Chu Yunhai, the top rank on the Hidden Dragon List.

At that moment, Chu Yunhai stood within a three-inch-wide square, his posture as tall and straight as a mountain peak.

Faced with the terrifying pressure created by the Chief Elder’s manipulation of the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, his expression remained perfectly calm, not a single ripple of emotion showing. From start to finish, he showed no signs of being affected. It was as if the immense pressure that left others gasping for breath was nothing more than a gentle breeze to him.

Yuwen Mingjue couldn’t help but feel a flicker of admiration. ’This Chu Yunhai really lives up to his title as number one on the Hidden Dragon List. His strength is truly astonishing.’

The more he watched, the more satisfied he became, scheming to himself.

’Excellent,’ he thought. ’The stronger Chu Yunhai is, the better. All the more power to teach that country bumpkin Yang Jing a lesson and vent some of this festering anger.’

Just then, Yuwen Mingjue’s gaze unintentionally swept across to the other side of the grounds, where he happened to spot Gao Yang and Xu Ziqiang.

He saw that their expressions were grave and their brows furrowed. Their hands were clenched into tight fists, clearly feeling the pressure, but they were still within their limits to endure it.

Seeing this, Yuwen Mingjue’s own brows knitted tightly, and a flash of resentment and irritation crossed his eyes.

"You two bastards," he cursed under his breath, his voice laced with indignation and resentment as he gritted his teeth.

He had previously gone out of his way to find Gao Yang and Xu Ziqiang, promising them a hefty sum of money and many rare Cultivation Resources to teach Yang Jing a lesson.

But ever since word spread that Yang Jing had broken through to the Qi Eating Realm, the two of them had acted as if they’d cut all ties with him. No matter how he tried to send messages or dispatch people to find them, they were unreachable, having vanished completely.

Those two had taken so many benefits from him, only to turn their backs on him now. The moment they heard Yang Jing had broken through to the Qi Eating Realm, they had tucked their tails between their legs in fear. This kind of opportunistic, treacherous behavior naturally made Yuwen Mingjue hate them to the core.

...

Meanwhile, Sun Ningxiang had squeezed through the crowd to stand at the very front of the spectators.

The view here was wide and open, allowing her to see everything happening in the preliminary competition area below the main stage. Naturally, it also gave her a clearer view of Yang Jing.

Her gaze was glued to Yang Jing, unwilling to even blink for fear of missing the slightest detail.

Just then, two disciples beside her began speaking in low voices, and the topic of their discussion was none other than Yang Jing.

One of them said, "This Yang Jing is truly gifted. To break through to the Qi Eating Realm in such a short time, and with such strength... Regardless of his results in this grand competition, the sect will probably list him as a disciple for priority training."

The other disciple readily agreed, full of admiration.

Hearing them praise Yang Jing, Sun Ningxiang couldn’t help the corners of her lips from turning up. A hint of a smile bloomed in her eyes, and a sweet feeling blossomed in her heart; she was even happier than if she had been praised herself.

....

The secondary platform was slightly lower than the high platform where the Sect Leader and Peak Masters sat, and was connected directly to it.

Currently seated on this secondary platform were the Elders of the Main Peak and the various other veins, as well as the senior brothers and Senior Sisters of the Main Peak and the Seven Veins.

Si Jiawen, the Senior Sister of Lingxi Peak, was also seated there, her gaze fixed intently on the preliminary competition grounds below, her expression focused.

Her gaze was focused primarily on three Lingxi Peak disciples in the Qi Eating Realm: Yang Jing, Fang He, and Yan Chenglong.

Si Jiawen knew in her heart that while one might still see disciples from the Inner Strength Realm during the early preliminaries of the Fushan Grand Competition, the real contest would ultimately come down to the disciples of the Qi Eating Realm.

No matter how talented an Inner Strength Realm disciple was, it was impossible for them to last until the end. After all, the gulf between their realm and the Qi Eating Realm was as wide as a heavenly chasm.

Si Jiawen carefully observed the condition of the three. She noticed that at the beginning, Fang He and Yan Chenglong still looked somewhat relaxed and composed, their auras stable.

But as time went on and the pressure of the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi grew heavier, the expressions of both men slowly began to change. Their brows furrowed slightly, their looks growing grave, and the Inner Qi around their bodies began to fluctuate faintly. It was clear they were now vigorously circulating their Inner Qi to resist the pressure.

In contrast, Yang Jing had looked quite serious from the moment he first stepped into the clearing and took his position. His back was straight and his fists were lightly clenched. He almost looked like he was having a harder time than Fang He and the other man, as if he wouldn’t be able to hold on for long.

Yet now, when the worldly pressure was much heavier than before and even Fang He and Yan Chenglong wore grave expressions, Yang Jing’s face remained unchanged. He still wore that same unhurried, serious look, his breathing even and his body as steady as a boulder, showing not the slightest sign of wavering.

Watching him, Si Jiawen couldn’t help but purse her lips, though a hint of a smile flashed in her eyes.

Although she found this junior brother of hers a bit strange at times—he was clearly powerful, yet he maintained this stoic facade from beginning to end, never showing off his true capabilities—she still fully acknowledged his strength.

After all, he was a disciple personally chosen by her master, and her own junior brother besides. The importance Si Jiawen placed on Yang Jing was far greater than that she placed on Fang He or Yan Chenglong.

She gazed at Yang Jing’s figure and muttered to herself, ’You little brat, you’d better make me proud! If you don’t perform well in this competition, I’ll have to personally step in and whip you into shape afterward!’

...

The preliminary round continued to proceed in an orderly fashion under Ouyang Jingxuan’s control.

The pressure between heaven and earth was like a giant net tightening, culling batch after batch of disciples who lacked sufficient willpower and Cultivation.

By now, in this preliminary competition area paved with bluestone, only fifty disciples remained, gritting their teeth and holding on.